Multrees Investor Services has partnered with Lombard lending solution provider Firenze to make portfolio-backed lending accessible to more wealth managers and their clients.

Through Firenze’s integrated offering, wealth managers and investment advisers using Multrees' services can offer loans starting from £65,000, secured against clients’ investment portfolios.

The firm stated that the solution was once reserved for private banking clients with at least £1m in assets and looking to borrow £500,000 or more.

Multrees said that demand for flexible liquidity solutions had risen, driven by economic and fiscal uncertainty, with a more diverse range of investors using Lombard lending to unlock capital without selling their investments.

This was in addition to expectations that interest rates will be lowered by the Bank of England, leading to borrowing becoming more attractive.

Through the offering, clients were freeing up liquidity for tax planning, property purchases, or shorter-term cash flow, while continuing to take advantage of investment returns.

The firm added that Lombard lending was increasingly being adopted as a strategic tax planning tool, helping clients manage capital gains tax (CGT) and inheritance tax (IHT) liabilities without disrupting long-term investment strategies.

As borrowing does not trigger an asset sale, clients are able to spread disposals across tax years or incorporate lending into longer-term estate and succession planning.

“Our goal has always been to enable wealth managers to deliver sophisticated, flexible solutions under their own brand,” said Multrees Investor Services chief client officer, Peter O’Donnell.

“By embedding Firenze’s lending technology within our custody ecosystem, we’re helping advisers offer a service that helps retain and strengthen high value clients – and capture fee revenue that would otherwise flow into the banking sector.”

Firenze CEO, David Newman, added: "Our mission has always been to make Lombard lending accessible beyond the private banking sector. As interest rates ease and taxes rise, the ability to unlock liquidity without selling investments has never been more relevant for high net worth clients.

“Like us, Multrees shares this vision – empowering wealth managers to strengthen their client offering without the need to move custody. We’re proud to partner with one of the leading custody platforms of choice for independent boutiques, helping advisers complete their proposition and stay competitive in a changing market.”

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